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819K views 11K replies 438 participants last post by  tomwas 
#1 ·
ive seen this type of thread on my toyota forum and it ends up being good.:thumbup:

anyways i'll start i guess, today i cleaned the wii out of my car and attempted to put my grilles in:)
 
#10,312 ·
1) Welcome to the fest!

2)Since we have no clue what radiator the PO put in your car, we have no way of knowing if the temperature sensor will fit. If it's a direct replacement for the original radiator, it should. If not, you'll just have to try it and see.
 
#10,318 ·
I think the moral of the story with Harry's M-Tech is to never restore a non-collector car (which no E36 is, with the sole exception being the LTW) and expect to profit from it. Restoring cars is almost always a losing proposition. Even cars that are collectible often don't make financial sense to restore. I could spend $70k restoring my GTO and it would only be worth $35-40k, and it's a highly collectible car.
 
#10,323 ·
Put new tie rod assemblies on and pull the front struts off. Tomorrow the new struts go in, then off to the alignment shop. When I was looking at the old tie rods one was an OE Lemforder assembly which was probably original to the car. The other was a MOOG, and it was still tight. I can't understand how someone would replace one tie rod.
 
#10,324 ·
i did this all the time....:dunno:

there is not going to be any problem with that since it is not like brakes or springs which are done in pairs.

just like replacing a lightbuld in the lamp on a multi bulb fixture. do you replace *all* of the bulbs when 1 blows?? :dunno:

harry, why not sell it to yourself first, *then* list it....:D

srsly, such a huge amount of work went into that, and i believe there is a buyer out there. i'd sit on it for a little bit and see what pops up. enthusiests who know bmw will not be deterred by the mileage, and those that do, imho, are not enthusiests who actually *drive* their cars....:tsk:

if matt buys it, it'll be like it's still staying in the family!!:D

df
 
#10,327 · (Edited)
Finally replaced both of my seeping power steering lines, and replaced the reservoir/filter in the process. I got rid of the stupid OEM BMW hose design where it was a press-fitted connection at the fluid cooler, which means that instead of having to replace a $100+ fluid cooler and hose, you can replace only the 12" length of hose if it ever goes bad, which only costs about $15. Easy-peasy. Used a Gates 1/2" ID heat and oil resistant ATF line rated to 400psi, which is far greater than the low pressure duty it will need to withstand.

Before:


After:


After I snapped the photos, I also did some degreasing underneath the car now that I no longer have seeping power steering lines making a mess of everything. I now feel quite proud to have an E36 which doesn't have damp power steering lines.



You are aware that you will also need the front spindles and rear trailing arms from the M3 to use those M3 calipers, right? You also need wheels that are at least 17" in diameter. I'm assuming you've already done your homework - just want to make sure.
 
#10,328 · (Edited)
Hey, yeah my bro is comming over with his welder for the ebrakes tues. I got around the 17" rims by buying a spacer kit, should be here Tues. I only did the rears because of the leak, I cant afford the front til another paycheck. From what I've read I only need the spindles for the ebrake to function, other than that it's a straight up switch correct? Could i just grab the rotors and calipers and weld the ebrake pads like I'm doing for the rears?
 
#10,331 · (Edited)
Your brake bias will be off, but it won't matter much for street driving. Even when you do get M3 brakes on all four corners, you won't have the correct brake bias unless you also install an M3 master cylinder.

And when you say you "got the rears", does that mean you also removed the rear trailing arms from the M3?

Lastly, rather than install the rears, then spend time saving money, and then install the fronts, it makes 300% more sense to wait until you have purchased all the necessary parts and install them at one time. That way you don't wast tons of time and money on unnecessary brake flushes, wheel alignments, etc.
 
#10,333 ·
I don't remember if it was still there or not. If i cannot get all the parts to make front and rears work even without the master cylinder I will probably just get parts from a 328 there and stay stock, and save and buy a legit BBK but it will make me very disappointed to do so.
 
#10,334 ·
Yes, I agree. I posted quickly and didn't read the entire post. Trying to get boys to bed, lol. No, It's a legit M3..calipers and steering wheel have badges (i know those can be purchased) but the u pull it place lists according to year and make on title, so it is legit. on a side note the previous owners scrapped it minus motor and tranny(go figure)..lol
 
#10,335 ·
Big Job

Today I finally started to replace my convertible top; a chore to keep me busy and out of trouble this weekend. Below is a picture of my new top resting on the frame until tomorrow. I already got the new tension straps in.

I am taking a lot of pictures and will make a new thread of my experience, it might just help out the next guy a little bit as I have discovered/used a couple workarounds to make things easier.

More to come!
 

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#10,336 ·
Started digging into my rust repair project. A bad repair job to my passenger side strut tower left the seam weld rusty. The only part that needs replacing is the panel in front of the actual strut tower, which I had to get shipped in from Germany through my local dealer.

"While Im in there" the car is getting a ground control coilover conversion (440 front spring / 550 rear), reinforcement plates, and stoptech ss brake lines. I think this part of the front end is the only bit that I havent touched on the car since my ownership.





 
#10,339 ·
Installed a re manufactured A/C compressor on the E30 since the old one made a terrible ruckus and made the engine sound like it had a knock. Just waiting on a new drier then hoping the A/C works. Also installed a new belt on that and a new belt for the fan, water pump, alternator, etc.

by fender13bender, on Flickr

Flushed the transmission fluid, and painted the hubcaps dove white (not sure how I feel about it)

by fender13bender, on Flickr

by fender13bender, on Flickr
 
#10,344 ·
Ugh - Washed my car tonight, and it didn't go according to plan. I use the sprayer to blast off the surface grime and get the surface wet before using my own soaps and microfiber mitts, but tonight I thought I'd try an option on the dial I've never used before: low-pressure soak. Turns out it strips wax straight off... So now I have to rewax my recently waxed but even more recently unwaxed car... No bueno.
 
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